Just a Little Place in Time
by Triel
Summary: The Doctor takes Rose to have the best grilled cheese in all of time and space only to find things changed. Drawn to the mystery of why things are different, the Doctor and Rose end up neck-deep in impending doom.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: _

Standard disclaimer of "not mine, not profiting, don't sue" applies. That being said, I'm new to the fandom, I have no beta, and I'm unerringly fallible.

- Triell BlacKnight

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Just a Little Place in Time

Chapter One

"There's this little place past Sentura," the Doctor was saying, walking hand-in-hand with the nineteen-year-old Rose Tyler, "they have the best grilled cheese in all of time and space."

"Do they, now, Doctor?" Rose grinned, clearly intent on seeing it for herself.

"Should do for a right quick trip, yeah? Might even be safe." He grinned, an awkward sort of smile, and tightened the grip on her hand a little more. The two grinned wildly and then started to run toward the blue structure marked "Police Phone Call Box." The TARDIS.

The Doctor opened the door for the blond and dashed to the control panel, hitting buttons and pulling levers. "You'll be amazed, Rose Tyler!"

"You think so?" She moved her hair back, watching the Doctor pull levers.

"Oh, yes," the Doctor said, "it's fantastic."

Rose grinned and headed towards the door, pushing it open, ready to turn back and raise her chin up to question the Doctor's sanity, such a familiar sort of jabbing that she hadn't for a second thought that something might not be right, except for possibly the date and location.

Rose's eyes took in the landscape and she backed up, into the Doctor. "Wrong time?" She asked, tilting her head up to look at the Time Lord.

"No," the Doctor said, moving past Rose. He reached down and grabbed her hand. Instead of dashing about or walking with a jovial sort of step, the two walked somberly into the desolate streets.

"You're so sure this isn't the wrong time?"

"Time Lord," the Doctor reminded her. "I'm sure. It's not my sense of time that's off... but this isn't right."

Still, he led her towards a little shop, windows boarded up. "This isn't right," he said again.

"Let's see if they still have the best grilled cheese in the universe, yea?" Rose suggested, putting a hand over her burbling stomach. It had been a while since they'd stopped to eat, what with one thing and another.

"Right then," the Doctor said, pushing the door open. A rusted little bell gave a half-hearted clink as the two walked into the establishment.

It was dirt, cobwebbed up and altogether unpleasant, but the air smelled of fried bread and melted cheese.

"We'll take two," the Doctor said, handing the hunchbacked alien at the counter three brittle twigs before leading Rose to a table.

"It doesn't smell like things have changed all that much," Rose said, inhaling to take in the delicious air.

"Humans," the Doctor said, shaking his head. "Keep seeing what you want to be seeing. When the sandwiches arrived, the Doctor took a big bite and made a sour face. "Don't," he said, stopping Rose from trying it herself. He set his sandwich down and stood. "Let's go."

Rose looked down at the food on the plate and then over at the Doctor, and then stood. "What's going on?"

The Doctor and Rose walked out onto the empty streets once more, and stopped, his smile hesitant. "Let's find out."


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: _

Standard disclaimer of "not mine, not profiting, don't sue" applies. That being said, I'm new to the fandom, I have no beta, and I'm unerringly fallible.

Sorry for the short chapter and length between updates. Finals week university-wide interrupting writing time.

- Triell BlacKnight

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Just a Little Place in Time

Chapter Two

The Doctor and Rose might have wandered all night looking for the source of trouble, but a scream solved the hunt for them.

"Did you just hear--" Rose asked, tilting her head as a scream filled the air.

"I believe I did," the Doctor grinned, nodding towards the source of the sound—a large, stone structure. He offered an arm, and the two proceeded further, a few steps almost serious before breaking into a run, a wicked smile on either face. Adventure, wasn't that what they traveled for?

The Doctor and Rose hit a dead end, a circle of grey buildings. The screams echoed in the cul-de-sac, but there was no apparent cause.

"What's happening?" The Doctor asked a pair of girls, young, hollow-eyed, and almost human looking.

"The Little God is choosing," one of the girl said, clasping the hand of her companion. "C'mon." She tugged her companion, the two scampering away. It was only on their retreat that Rose noticed their tails.

"Little God, huh?" Rose smiled up at the Doctor. A Little God? He was the closest thing to a god she'd ever met, and wasn't she just a well-traveled thing, having traipsed about many a time and place?

"Shh," he said, pulling Rose behind him. "Can you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Rose asked, trying to look around him.

The ground rumbled, an angry gurgle, and then there was silence.

"That," she said, "I heard."

"Not that," the Doctor said, moving backwards, edging her back down the street. "You have to run," he said, turning to push her away. "Run! To the TARDIS," he added. "Now!"

Rose hesitated for a minute, and then the ground shook once more. She reached for the Doctor, and he flung an arm out, shooing her away. "Go," he said, "just go!"

Rose gave one last look to the Doctor and then broke into a run. Behind her she could hear something large churning, and faintly in the distance the sonic screwdriver, and the Doctor, his voice too quiet to be understood, and then too far away, and then there it was again, but it was right behind her, that metallic churning. She fell against the TARDIS, reaching into her pocket for her keys., not quite panic, but almost.

Where was the Doctor/ And what was coming? And who had been yelling? She got the key into the keyhole and started to turn it, trying to get the blue box to open up before the large mass that was quickly approaching swallowed her up entirely.

Not for the first time in her life, she was too slow.


End file.
